#unitytx

here's what my march sounded like :3

NYC | Gramercy Theater [5.11.24]

UnityTX - Ferality

Over the next few reviews, I wanted to talk about some albums from last year that I didn’t get around to, and they all have a specific theme — nu-metalcore. Over the last few years, both nu-metal and alt-metal have slowly crept back into heavy music, and it’s fully back now. I haven’t really listened to a lot of hands in this vein that I really liked in the past couple of years, but last year, a handful of bands put out some solid nu-metalcore albums. I’ve been listening to some of them this past week, because I’ve been looking for some bouncy, groovy, and energetic nu-metalcore. The first band, and my favorite one, that I wanted to cover is UnityTX’s proper debut album, Ferality. I’ve been aware of these guys for the last handful of years, but they’ve only put out EPs and singles from time to time. I remember hearing bits and pieces of Ferality last year, but I never listened to it in full, and I’ve been wanted to check this out.

I’m really bummed I waited so long, because man, this album would have been one of my favorites of last year. This is such a fun, energetic, intense, and diverse album that showcases a catchier side to the band. This thing is only a half hour long, but it packs a huge punch. I will say that if you’re expecting nothing but nu-metal bangers with a sick and bouncy groove and breakdowns for days, you’ll be disappointed. This album runs the gamut between a lot of different sounds, including nu-metalcore, hip-hop, industrial, and more straight up alt-metal. Every song on this album is different in its own way, and I love that about this record. It has a good sense of variety, so when the album gets heavier, it feels more earned than if every song sounded the same.

Every sound works quite well, too, especially when they move into a catchier sound. Part of that is due to vocalist Jay Webster being able to adapt his vocals to whatever he needs to, whether it’s a nu-metalcore banger like “ROC SH1T,” “Rotting Away (Gore),” or “World Of Malice,” an industrial song like “Diamond Diez,” a hip-hop cut like “Lost In Dayz,” or even a Disturbed-sounding cut like “Killing Alchemy.” Webster sounds just like David Draiman on that last song, and it’s a cool Disturbed song they never wrote. The instrumentation helps, too, though, as the performances are quite good, and the album never gets boring or dull.